Halfway Point of the Season

With all teams having now played at least 26 games, the season is officially at the halfway mark and we will take a look at the current stats and standings heading into the second portion of the year.

Standings

Top Performers

There are two teams in particular that have produced the top point and goal scorers so far this season, Oskarshamn and Skellefteå.

Oskarshamn has the leagues top two point getters and the second and third best goal scorers. New comer Antti Suomela has very much impressed in his debut SHL season scoring a league best 32 points (14G 18A) in 25 games played. Hot on his heels with 30 points in the same span is his teammate Patrik Karlkvist who currently boasts 30 points (14G 16A). Despite the fact they boast the two best point getters in the league, Oskarshamn continues to struggle this season and remains near the bottom of the league in 13th place in the standings.

Skellefteå is also boasting an impressive pair of skaters in Jonathan Pudas and Oscar Möller. Möller currently leads the league in goals with 16 and is fourth overall in points with 24. Just ahead of him is his teammate and defenseman Jonathan Pudas who has notched 28 points (8G 20A) so far this season.

Skellefteå also features the best goaltender in the league. With 13 games played so far this season Linus Söderström is boasting ridiculous stats. He has a 1.22 GAA a .950SV%, 4 shutouts and a win/loss record of 11 and 2.

The Växjö Lakers Emil Larmi slots into the second spot for goaltenders so far this season. The 26 year old Finn has posted a 1.92 GAA a .924SV%, 2 shutouts and a win loss record of 9 and 6.

Rounding out the top three is Leksands Mantas Armalis. After having a dissapointing season with Djurgården last year, the 30 year old tender has had a bounce back with his new team this season. With 19 games played he has posted a 2.17 GAA a .922SV%, 3 shutouts and a win/loss record of 12 and 6.

Off Ice News

Roy

Brynäs has added some North American content to their lineup this week as they have signed Kevin Roy to a new deal. The 29 year old Canadian has not played so far this season with any team. Previous to this season he has been playing in the AHL since 2016 with various teams. He also had a brief appearance in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks. This will be Roys first time playing outside of North America.

– He is a technical player who has always been part of the offense and who was close to breaking into Anaheim a few years ago. Now it will be interesting to see him in our environment, says sporting director Johan Alcén.

The contract is valid until the end of the season.

HV71

Roy was not the only North American signed this week as HV71 brought in a pair of players, including American Nick Shore. Shore has spent the past two seasons in Switzerland and Russia. Previous to that he played in the NHL with Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa and Los Angeles.

– When we get Nick in, we add further power to the offense and sharpen our center side. A right-handed forward with a great sense of play who is really looking forward to coming to HV71, says sporting director Kent Norberg.

The second player brought in to HV71 this week also comes from the Swiss league as Finnish defenceman Oliwer Kaski joins the team from Jönköping. Previous to his play with Lugano this year he spent two season in the KHL and had one season in the AHL.

Örebro

The busiest team off the ice this week was certainly Örebro as they brought in four players on loan to fill spots left by injuries as well as players who have left to participate in this years world juniors tournament. Jesper Norbäck, Anton Klint, Jacob Svensson and Jakob Ragnarsson have all been called up from Almtuna in HockeyAllsvenskan. All but Ragnarsson, who had 4 games played with Rögle in 2020, will be getting their first taste of SHL action.

Davidssons

Both Jonathan and Marcus Davidsson have parted ways with HV71. It is not clear as to why they have left the organization but they were not in the lineup in against Växjö on Saturday evening.

– Today we have agreed with Marcus and Jonathan to go our separate ways. HV71 thanks them for their efforts in the club and wishes them great success in the future, says HV71's sports director Kent Norberg.

It is being reported that the brothers have come to terms with Finnish team Tappara.